Brain-dead women should be kept alive and used as surrogates, professor suggests

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A Norwegian professor suggested that brain dead men and women should be kept alive and used as "whole body gestational" surrogates, according to a report published in the Journal of Theoretical Medicine and Bioethics. 

"Whole body gestational donation offers an alternative means of gestation for prospective parents who wish to have children but cannot, or prefer not to, gestate," the report stated. "It seems plausible that some people would be prepared to consider donating their whole bodies for gestational purposes just as some people donate parts of their bodies for organ donation."

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The paper, titled Whole Body Gestational Donation was written by Anna Smajdor, a Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Oslo, Norway. 

Smajdor stated it has already been determined "that pregnancies can be successfully carried to term in brain-dead women" and that "There is no obvious medical reason why initiating such pregnancies would not be possible." Although, she does admit it is "undoubtedly a disturbing prospect." 

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She argued "whole body gestational donation" (WBGD) should be an option "for anyone who wishes to avoid the risks and burdens of gestating a foetus in their own body," which "may be disconcerting" but "most of the ethical problems that might be associated with it apply equally to other areas of medical and/or reproductive practice."

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The report asserted that pregnancy and childbirth carry serious health risks even in affluent settings with advanced healthcare. 

"We cannot yet forego the uterus altogether for the reproduction of our species," Smajdor stated. "But we can transfer the risks of gestation to those who are no longer able to be harmed by them."

Smajdor acknowledged that WBGD "might stand out as being unacceptable from a feminist perspective."

"The prospect of the unconscious woman’s body, filled and used by others as a vessel, is a vivid illustration of just what feminists have fought against for many years," she stated. 

Smajdor also suggested that brain dead men "would also have the potential to gestate" which would increase the pool of potential donors and mitigate feminist concerns. 

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"The prospect of the male gestator could thus appease some feminists who might otherwise feel that brain-dead gestation is a step too far in the objectification of women’s reproductive functions," the report stated.  

"The prospect of male pregnancy is not, as many would imagine, fanciful, or a piece of science fiction," Smajdor claimed.